Page 143 of Enthrall Shadows
I rested my palm on his firm chest. “Go.”
I’d not taken into consideration that having a compassionate woman might threaten the plan.
I leaned in and whispered to Lotte, “Don’t make me order you.”
“I’m not backing down,” she said.
“Remember that time with me at Enthrall?” I arched a brow.
She started to correct me and then blinked as she processed that I had gotten the name wrong. I’d never once stepped foot in Enthrall, but I’d met her at Chrysalis.
And I never got my facts wrong.
“I remember,” she whispered.
Before she broke away from my intense gaze, I could see she now realized why I’d emptied the rucksack.
“It’ll be fun,” I said loudly enough for Michael to hear.
Lotte and I climbed into the backseat of the jeep.
Michael climbed in beside Reese in the front. I noted they’d brought two-way radios. Ours were secured to our belts but they were small enough to go unnoticed. If everything went well, we’d not need them.
We sped down a well-worn pathway.
Should anyone examine my kit back at base camp, they’d find the contents sparse. Though in my experience, when an object was left in plain sight in front of everyone, it didn’t arouse suspicion if they’d observed its drop. Not right away.
We kept the conversation light.
Half an hour later, Reese pulled the jeep up to the edge of a vast area of land. Several earth diggers sat like prehistoric dinosaurs waiting to be put to work. There was a portable toilet for the workers and a cabin for them to convene, along with all the usual machines one found on a construction site.
All four of us exited the jeep and moved closer to the plot of land. Wary of us invaders, no animals could be seen or heard.
An eerie silence surrounded us.
“They’re done for the day,” said Reese.
Stepping forward, I studied the area to confirm we had at least two thousand feet of radius needed for extraction. Their pilot would be used to this. Ours would need reassurance that the landing site appeared safe.
I pulled the infrared camera out of my pocket and stepped forward.
“What’s that?” asked Michael.
“I’m checking to make sure we don’t have company,” I said.
I scanned the dense brush and tree line, hoping our escape wouldn’t be sabotaged by a renegade like Tony, whom we’d had the misfortune of meeting earlier.
“No one is here,” said Michael.
The tech confirmed it, detecting no body heat within a mile. One thing was sure, if you needed a job done, you did it yourself if unfamiliar with your team.
I tucked the camera away.
If anyone shot at our pilot, I’d become the hunter out here. Having a former SEAL go rogue amongst the Everglades would become everyone’s nightmare.
So far, they’d all been spared my fury.
I turned to Reese. “I need to talk with you in private.”
